Lōbha, Rāga and Kāmaccandha, Kāmarāga

There are various names for greed in Pāli. Each has a different meaning, and the differences are significant. Let us look at the two terms “lōbha” and “rāga” first.

What is Lōbha?

1. Lōbha is the stronger term of the two. The word lōbha comes from “lo” + “bha” where “lo” implies “strong attraction” (like that of an ant to honey) and “bha” is for “bhava” (existence) One is firmly attached to this world with lōbha.

One wishes that all the “riches” should come to oneself and not to others (one may be already “rich”, but wants more for oneself).

One is not willing to donate even a little bit to the needy and does not share with even the family. It is said that no matter how much one has, some people want more. However, even poor people can have lōbha, especially for the things others have.

2. It is hard to quantify these, but the idea is that “lōbha” is the manifestation of the overbearing attachment to worldly things.

Lōbha is one of 52 cētasika (mental factors).

Abhijjā (extreme greed) is the same as lōbha.

Rāga is a Weaker Form of Lōbha

3. Rāga arises also because one believes there are pleasures to be had in staying in samsāra (rebirth process). But one would NOT do highly-immoral things with just rāga. Here, “rā” means “giving priority” and “enjoying” a sensory experience. And “ga” means to touch or bind. One would like to keep enjoying that pleasure.

When one is born rich (or acquires wealth) and enjoys life with sensory pleasures, that is not lōbha, that is just rāga. Such a person is not doing harm to others. However, that rāga COULD lead to lōbha too.

With lōbha, one could do highly immoral deeds (even if one is rich). If one is willing to kill, steal, lie, etc. to gain something one desires, then those are “apāyagami” kamma. One does not necessarily have to carry out these actions or speech. Just thinking about it and making abhisaṅkhāra (planning or even enjoying such thoughts) itself is lōbha. Thus even the poorest person can have lōbha.

What is Kāma and Kāma Rāga?

4. Pleasing things in this world are NOT kāma. Attaching to such things and generating conscious thoughts about them (saṅkappa) is kāma. In other words, kāmameans attachment to the sense pleasure available in the kāma lōka, i.e., those available for the gratification of the five senses.

Then giving priority to kāma is kāma rāga.

When one has kāma rāga, one likes to enjoy sense pleasures, but not at the expense of others. Thus when husband and wife engage in sexual activity, that is due to kāma rāga.

Even the dēvas in dēva loka have kāma rāga. They like to enjoy sensory pleasures, but they don’t crave for what others have. Thus, they do not have lōbha.

Blinded by Kāma Is Kāmaccandha

5. Then there is kāmaccandha which is stronger than kāma rāga. It is like lōbha but focused on kāma.

kāmaccandha is the highest level of that attachment. Here one is willing to do abhorrent acts (killing, raping, etc) to satisfy one’s desires.

When one has developed kāma to the kāmaccandha level, one becomes unaware of the bad consequences of one’s actions. kāmaccandha comes from kāma + icca + andha, or “being blinded by sense attractions”. Here, “icca” is liking and “anda” is blind.

It is said that “one loses one’s mind” when blinded by attachment to sense pleasures, i.e., one cannot think rationally when one has kāmaccandha.

Thus, one needs to be mindful not to let one’s kāma rāga develop into kāmaccandha, which is one of the five hindrances that “cover the mind”.

Inappropriate sexual activity (affairs outside marriage and rape) are done with kāmaccandha, i.e. when one becomes blind with kāma.

Kāmaccandha is pronounced “kāmachchandha”.

Connection to Stages of Magga Phala

6. It is also helpful to see how these different levels of greed are removed at various stages of Nibbāna. This will give a better sense of differentiation.

A Sōtapanna has permanently removed kāmaccandha and also does not have the worst level of lōbha. Thus he/she will not engage in “apāyagami” acts to gain sense pleasures. A Sōtapanna has not given up kāma rāga.

A Sakadāgāmi also has kāma rāga to a lesser extent; this is why he could be reborn in the kāma lōka for one more time.

An Anāgami has removed kāma rāga; he will not return to any of the 11 eleven kāma lōka realms, including the human and dēva realms, and will be reborn in the suddāvāsa in the rūpa loka, and will attain Nibbāna there.

However, an Anāgami may still enjoy (but not attach to) sense pleasures, i.e., still has kāma; see #3 of, “Akusala Citta and Akusala Vipāka Citta“. This is a subtle point, but the point is that an Anāgami would still have the “four greed-based citta without wrong views”, and that is kāma. Those four akusala cittā are prevented from arising only for an Arahant.

7. Finally, some have given up the desire to enjoy pleasures in kāma lōka, but like the jhānic pleasures. They are born in rūpa loka and arūpa loka, and have rūpa rāga and arūpa rāga.